Reminder: Blue Angels Fly-Overs Mean I-90 Closures Thursday-Sunday

The U.S. Navy's elite demonstration team -- the Blue Angels -- takes to the air beginning Thursday morning for a four-day run of dazzling aeronautical maneuvers in the Seattle area.

Seafair is here. The blue-and-yellow F/A-18 Hornet jets will streak, arc, corkscrew and climb over Seattle-area cities and Lake Washington.

Motorists should take note that Interstate 90 will be closed from Interstate 5 in Seattle to Island Crest Way on Mercer Island periodically for practice runs on Thursday and Friday. The Seafair air shows over the weekend will prompt Interstate 90 closures in the afternoons.

For motorists, here are the scheduled closure times for the Interstate 90 bridge:

• Thursday: 9:45 a.m. - noon and 1:15 - 2:30 p.m.
• Friday: 12:45 p.m. - 2:40 p.m.
• Saturday: 12:45 p.m. - 2:40 p.m.
• Sunday: 12:45 p.m. - 2:40 p.m.

Pedestrians and bicyclists should be aware that the bridge will be off limits to them 30 minutes before the full road closure.

The closures are the result of federal restrictions on aircraft over busy highways to protect motorists. The Blue Angels routinely violate these restrictions and require a special waiver to perform. The waiver carries safety stipulations requiring the closures.

Meantime, the State Route 520 bridge will be open during the fly-overs, but motorists should note three closures and delays of about 30 minutes Thursday and Friday evenings and Sunday morning as crews raise the draw-span to allow boats to pass through.

Closures at 9 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Sunday will allow passage for the Major General Henry Knox, a tugboat assisting with Seafair activities. A closure at 9:30 p.m. Thursday is to allow a large sailboat to pass through. 

More information on upcoming closures for both 520 and I-90 closure is available on the Washington State Department of Transportation's website.

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Information from the WSDOT website